Ridvan

Ridvan (also Ridwan or Ridvan) is a masculine given name used in Turkish, Albanian, and other Muslim communities. It derives from the Arabic Ridwān and related forms, meaning "pleasure" or "contentment," and is associated with paradise in Islamic tradition. The name is used across Turkey, the Balkans, the Middle East, and among diaspora communities.

In the Bahá’í Faith, Ridván, commonly spelled Ridvān in transliteration, refers to a twelve-day festival commemorating Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of his mission in 1863. The festival is named after the Ridván Garden outside Baghdad, where Bahá’u’lláh announced his mission. It usually falls in spring, corresponding to late April to early May in the Gregorian calendar, though exact dates vary by year. The twelve days are marked by devotional gatherings, prayers, and community events. Some of the days within Ridván are observed as Holy Days in Bahá’í practice, with work often suspended, and the festival culminates in the public proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh’s mission and the renewal of Bahá’í commitments for the coming year.